Stirring Up Hurricanes
Purpose: To demonstrate the counter-clockwise air motions in hurricanes and low pressure
systems.
Benchmarks: SC.2.E.7.4, SC.5.E.7.3 (also SC2.E.7.5/SC.5.E.7.7)
Materials: food coloring, large plastic bowl, spoon, water
Directions: Fill the plastic bowl about halfway with water. Stir the water with the spoon in a
counter-clockwise direction (if you want to simulate the Southern Hemisphere stir in a
clockwise direction). When you have a vigorous circulation going add a drop or two of food
coloring. A nice eye and spiral band rain bands should be on display.
Explain to the students that hurricanes are areas of low pressure. Air will flow from higher
pressure toward lower pressure. In the Northern Hemisphere the winds in a low pressure
system will circulate in a counter-clockwise direction while in a high pressure system the
winds will circulate in a clockwise direction. Hurricanes are made of spiral bands of clouds
and rain. They also usually have a clear center called an eye.
You can use these resources to teach more about hurricanes and low pressure systems:
The National Weather Service JetStream On-Line School for Weather has information about
hurricanes at this site: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc.htm .
They have a satellite loop of Hurricane Isabel and a radar image of Hurricane Andrew on the
structure page: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc_structure.htm
Satellite images of cloud patterns can be found at: http://www.weather.gov/satellite
Click on the water vapor image and select View Loop: 24 hours at the bottom. You should be
able to find low pressure areas that are spinning counter-clockwise.
Archived satellite images of hurricanes can be found at
http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/storm_archive/atlantic.php
You can find movies of hurricane satellite images to show your students the rain bands and
eyes of hurricanes.
For 2nd Grade: You can use this activity to show students the swirling patterns of the wind in
our atmosphere (SC.2.E.7.4) and when you teach about preparing for natural disasters such
as hurricanes (SC2.E.7.5). This activity can be used to introduce them to hurricanes.
For 5th Grade: You can use this activity as an introduction to wind patterns, low pressure
centers, and hurricanes (SC.5.E.7.3) and as an introduction to hurricanes when you teach
about having preparedness plans for natural disasters (SC.5.E.7.7)
Student sheets are included for this activity. Please feel free to modify them to fit your needs.
Name _____________________________________________________________________
Stirring Up Hurricanes Student Sheet
1. Watch your teacher stir up a hurricane. What do you see? Write down and/or draw your
observations:
2. Hurricanes are areas of low pressure. Low pressure areas rotate (clockwise/counterclockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere.
3. What is the clear center of a hurricane called? Circle one: Rain band/eye
4. What are the outer parts of a hurricane called? Circle one: Rain band/eye
5. In what direction would you expect the winds to turn in an area of high pressure in the
Northern Hemisphere? Circle one: clockwise/counter-clockwise
6. Hurricanes also form in the Southern Hemisphere. In what direction would you expect the
winds to turn in a hurricane or any other low pressure system in the Southern Hemisphere?
Circle one: clockwise/counter-clockwise
Name______________________________________________________
Stirring Up Hurricanes
Make a drawing of what you observed
1. Your teacher made a model of a hurricane. Are hurricanes areas of high pressure or low
pressure?
Circle one: high pressure/low pressure
2. Which of the following pictures shows the swirling pattern of a hurricane? Circle one--
Clockwise
Counter-Clockwise
3. What is the name of the calm clear center of the hurricane? Circle one: rain band/eye
Air Pressure Activities:
A Pressing Engagement and Measure the Pressure II: The “Dry” Barometer
The National Weather Service JetStream-Online School for Weather has a lesson for air
pressure which can be found at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/pressure.htm. This
lesson has several hands-on activities to teach about air pressure. We will present two of
these activities here.
A Pressing Engagement
The link for this activity is at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_engagement.htm and
a copy of the activity is provided for you.
For second grade this activity can be used to show that air is all around us for benchmark
SC.2.E.7.4.
For fifth grade this activity can be used a discrepant event as an introduction for teaching
about air pressure (SC5.E.7.3). A student sheet to go along with this activity is included. Feel
free to modify it as you see fit.
Measure the Pressure II: The “Dry” Barometer
The link for this activity is at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_pressure2.htm and a
copy of the activity is provided for you.
Students can observe the level of the straw as an indicator of the air pressure. They can do
this for a period of many days and relate their air pressure observations to the current
weather. A student sheet for recording the air pressure, cloud conditions, and current weather
as a companion for this activity is included. Please feel free to modify it as you see fit.
Academic Extensions
Weather observations are available from the Tampa Bay National Weather Service Office at
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw/?n=tampabaycurrentweatherpage. These include air pressure,
temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud coverage, and current weather.
Scroll down to “Aviation Observations” and click on KTPA - Tampa. This will bring up the
observed weather at Tampa International Airport for the past three days. As students are
recording their observations from their barometers you can have them record the air pressure
from KTPA on their index cards.
Weather observations from stations across the entire country can be found at this linkhttp://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/osd/portal.shtml
As an extension you can periodically download and save weather observations from various
cities over a period of time and use this to show how the rising and falling air pressure can
affect the weather.
Special Note: Here is what the abbreviations stand for in the Sky Conditions column of the
KTPA Tampa International Airport Observations:
CLR=Clear Conditions (no clouds)
FEW=Few Clouds (1/8-2/8 sky coverage)
SCT=Scattered (3/8-4/8)
BKN=Broken (5/8-7/8)
OVC=Overcast(8/8)
The 3 digit number is the height of the clouds in hundreds of feet (ex: 036=3600 feet).
For second grade this activity can be used to teach benchmark SC.2.E.7.1 Compare and
describe changing patterns in nature that repeat themselves such as weather conditions
including temperature and precipitation, day to day and season to season. It can also be
used to illustrate how air is all around us (SC.2.E.7.4)
For fifth grade this activity can be used to teach benchmark SC.5.E.7.3 Recognize how air
temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, and direction, and precipitation
determine the weather in a particular place and time.
Name ____________________________________________________________________
A Pressing Engagement
1. What did you observe when you laid the sheet of paper on the ruler and pressed down on
the ruler?
2. What did you observe when you did the experiment again with the newspaper?
3. Why was it more difficult to lift the ruler when the newspaper was on it?
4. Did you know that our atmosphere exerts a pressure of about 14.7 pounds per square
inch? A sheet of paper has 93.5 square inches. Estimate the weight of air that is pressing
down on the paper by multiplying the air pressure by the size of the paper.
5. The area of a sheet of newspaper is 540 square inches. Estimate the weight of air that is
pressing down on the newspaper by multiplying the air pressure by the size of the paper.
Name ____________________________________________________
A Pressing Engagement
1. When you laid the sheet of paper on the ruler and pressed down on the ruler did the paper
lift up?
Yes or no
2. When you laid the sheet of newspaper on the ruler and pressed down on the ruler did the
newspaper lift up?
Yes or no
3. Do you think the air in the atmosphere is pressing down or pushing up on the papers?
4. Air is all around us. Air has a force that presses on everything. What is this called?
Circle one: Air Precipitation / Air Pressure
Fossilized Rain Drops
Materials: Aluminum pie tins, corn starch, fine mesh strainer, spray bottles, zip lock bags.
Directions: Add a small layer of corn starch to the pie tin, then, holding the spray bottle at an
angle so it sprays upward, spray the tin a few times. Then, strain out the corn starch, and you
should have little fossils. Blow air into your zip lock bag, and gently put your fossils in.
You can do this activity with real rain. We would suggest that the teacher go out into the rain
with an umbrella to collect the rain drops and only do this when there is a light rain. Add a
date to the bags for the fossils.
For second grade: this activity can be used to teach benchmark SC.2.E.7.1 (Compare and
describe changing patterns in nature that repeat themselves such as weather conditions
including temperature and precipitation, day to day and season to season). Students can
collect their rain drops on different days and this will help them remember that weather
conditions such as rain repeat themselves over the course of time.
For fifth grade: this activity can be used as an introduction to teach about the water cycle
(SC.5.E.7.1) and precipitation (SC.5.E.7.4).
Making Snow
Safety precautions—Read safety precautions for dry ice at:
http://www.dryiceinfo.com/safe.htm and http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/vef/kids/dryice.php
Materials: Dry ice, tin cans, gloves to handle dry ice.
Directions: Get a block of dry ice and crush it into smaller pieces. Place the dry ice in a metal
container such as a kitchen pot. Allow the dry ice to vent. Let the dry ice sit for about 45
minutes. Ice crystals (snow) should form on the side of the container.
Explanation: Snow is an example of the water cycle. Snow forms when the temperature of
the atmosphere is below freezing. Water vapor in the air does not condense into liquid water,
rather it goes from the gas phase directly to the solid phase. This is called deposition.
A resource that you can use to explain how snow forms can be found at:
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-winter-storms.htm
For all grades: you may want to want to show students pictures of snow from the internet.
For second grade this activity can be used when you teach benchmark SC.2.E.7.1 to
introduce the students to snow. (SC.2.E.7.1 Compare and describe changing patterns in
nature that repeat themselves such as weather conditions including temperature and
precipitation, day to day and season to season).
For fifth grade this activity can be used when you teach about precipitation for benchmark
SC.5.E.7.4 as well as when you teach about the water cycle to illustrate that water can exist
in the solid phase for benchmark SC.5.E.7.1 (SC.5.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms
of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail) making connections to the weather in a particular
place and time. SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can
be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another.)
Name______________________________________________________________
Making Snow (Grade 5)
Snow is part of the water cycle: True or False?
Snow forms when the air temperature has to be above/below freezing.
When snow forms the water vapor goes directly to the liquid/solid phase.
This process is called sublimation/deposition.
Snowflakes are crystals. True or false?
Name______________________________________________________
Making Snow (Grade 2)
Is snow a liquid or solid? (Circle one)
Does it have to be warm or cold for snow? (Circle one)
In what season does snow form? Summer or Winter? (Circle one)
Water Cycle Activities
Sweatin' to the Coldies/The Rain Man
Teacher Instructions and Information
Sweatin' to the Coldies and The Rain Man come from the National Weather Service's
JetStream Online School for Weather. These activities can be found at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_sweatin.htm
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_rainman.htm
Copies of these activities have been provided for you.
You can modify these activities with a supercharged teacher demonstration. Put a beaker or
pot of water on a hot plate and using a ring stand, put a beaker of ice about 6 inches above
the pot of water. Turn the hot plate on. As the water starts to heat up and boil the water
vapor will rise and condense on the beaker of ice.
Teacher explanation for the Rain Man:
The three major parts of the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, and evaporation.
In the jar the warm water will evaporate and turn into water vapor. The warm air and water
vapor in the jar will rise. When it reaches the cold bag of ice it will condense. The water
vapor will turn back into liquid water. You will see this as condensation on the bag of ice. The
drops of water on the bag of ice will collect together and grow bigger. This models how rain
drops grow by collision-coalescence. Gravity will pull these drops down and they will fall off
the bag. This is precipitation.
In the real atmosphere the air is not warmed by a stove or hot plate. Instead the air is
warmed by the ground. Sunlight warms the ground and the warm ground will heat the air
above it. Liquid water will evaporate into when it is warmed by sunlight. This water vapor can
come from water in the ocean, rivers, lakes, puddles, water in the soil, water on leaves, or
from plants by evapotranspiration.
In the atmosphere we don't have bags of ice in the sky to cool the air. When air rises it will
cool because it expands. When the air cools to the dew point temperature the water vapor
will condense into liquid cloud droplets. The cloud droplets do not condense onto bags of ice,
instead they condense onto small microscopic particles called cloud condensation nuclei.
When clouds form the drops of water will collect together. This happens because they collide
into each other as the air is rising. The cloud droplets come in many different sizes and they
will rise and fall at different rates. For example, smaller cloud droplets that are rising will
collide with larger cloud droplets that are starting to fall. This process is called collisioncoalescence.
When the cloud droplets grow very large they start to fall as rain. They fall because the force
of the rising air, called the updraft, is overcome by the downward force of gravity. When rain
falls it is called precipitation.
Links to use
Water Cycle http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/hydro.htm
Precipitation http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/synoptic/precip.htm
How rain drops grow by collision-coalescence
http://www.physics.byu.edu/faculty/christensen/physics%20137/Figures/Precipitation/Collision-Coalescence%20Process.htm
Extensions
Demonstrate again but with cold water instead of warm water. This will show that the water
cycle is driven by the energy from the sun. Since the air is not warmed it will not rise.
For second grade: we would recommend doing Sweatin' to the Coldies with younger students.
Second grade teachers can use this activity as an extension for the benchmark SC.2.E.7.3 to
show students that the water that evaporates is still in the air and can reappear when it is
cooled (Investigate, observe, and describe how water left in an open container disappears
(evaporates), but water in a closed container does not).
For fifth grade: we would recommend doing the Rain Man activity. This activity can be used
to teach about the water cycle (SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts of the water
cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to
another) and how rain forms (S.C.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation
(rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and
time).
Name __________________________________________________________
The Rain Man Student Sheet (Grade 5)
Write down your observations of what is happening inside the jar and on the bag of ice.
Questions
1. At the bottom of the jar the water is (condensing/evaporating).
2. Water is (evaporating/condensing) onto the bag of ice.
3. When the drops of water fall from the bag this is called (condensation/precipitation).
4. When air is (warmer/colder) than its surroundings it will rise.
5. Water vapor is able to get into the air because it (condenses/evaporates) from water on the
ground or in the ocean.
6. When air rises it will get (warmer/cooler) because it is expanding.
7. When the air cools to the (wet bulb/dew point) temperature the water vapor will condense.
8. In clouds, small microscopic particles called cloud condensation (droplets/nuclei) have
surfaces that allow the water vapor to condense on to.
9. Cloud water droplets grow by colliding into each other in a process called
(coalescence/effervescence).
10. When the force of the rising air in a cloud is overcome by the downward force of gravity
the water droplets will (continue to rise / fall to the ground as rain).
Name _____________________________________________________
Sweatin' to the Coldies (Grade 2)
1. Where did the water on the outside of the glass come from? Circle one:
*The ice on the inside of the glass
*Water vapor that was in the air
2. What is it called when the invisible water vapor in the air turns into liquid water that we can
see? Circle one:
evaporation
condensation
3. When the invisible water vapor in the air turns into liquid water does the air have to get
colder or warmer? Circle one:
warmer
colder
4. When the humidity is high is there a little bit or a lot of moisture in the air? Circle one:
*A little bit of moisture
*A lot of moisture
Cloud in a Bottle
Adult Supervision is Required!)
Equipment required:
1-liter clear plastic bottle with cap
Water
Matches
Objective of experiment: To create a cloud in a bottle.
Methodology:
1. Pour water into plastic bottle and then pour the water out (leaving moisture on the sides of
the bottle).
2. The goal of this next step is to get some smoke particles into the bottle. Light a match and
let it burn for a few seconds. Blow the match out and immediately place the head of the match
in the bottle. Let the smoke from the match fill the bottle. After a few seconds, the smoke will
seem to disappear, but the invisible particles are still floating around in the bottle. All of this
happens fairly quickly.
3. Screw the cap on the bottle being careful not to let too much smoke out of the bottle.
4. Squeeze the sides of the bottle really hard 6 or 7 times (more squeezing may be
necessary). Squeeze the bottle again, hold the squeeze for a few seconds and then quickly
release the squeeze. The second you release the squeeze, you should see the formation of a
little fog in the bottle. This is the cloud!
What you expect to see and why:
Clouds are formed when water vapor is cooled enough to form tiny water droplets. This is
exactly what happens when moist air rises in the atmosphere, cools, and water droplets form
into clouds. You will promote cooling in the bottle so that a cloud forms from the water
droplets. The smoke acts as condensation nuclei.
When you squeeze on the bottle you are causing the temperature to rise. When you release
the bottle the air inside the bottle is expanding and cooling. When air rises in the atmosphere
it expands and cools. The reason why it cools is because it is doing work on the atmosphere
by expanding.
When the water vapor in the air cools it condenses and forms drops of liquid water. The air
has to cool to the dew point temperature in order for condensation to occur. In the
atmosphere cloud condensation nuclei are small particles that water vapor can condense on
to. It is really difficult for water vapor to condense into drops of pure water.
Fog (clouds at ground level) can form when the air cools at night by radiational cooling.
Extensions
Try the demonstration again with a new bottle without water to demonstrate that water vapor
is needed for clouds to form.
Do the demonstration a third time but without adding smoke to the bottle to demonstrate that
water vapor needs cloud condensation nuclei to condense on to.
For fifth grade: this activity can be used to teach benchmark SC.5.E.7.1 (Create a model to
explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back
and forth from one state to another.)
For second grade: this activity can be used as an extension for the benchmark SC.2.E.7.3
(Investigate, observe, and describe how water left in an open container disappears
(evaporates), but water in a closed container does not).
Name ______________________________________________________________
Cloud in a Bottle Student Sheet (Grade 5)
Write down what happens when your teacher demonstrates this activity:
1. Your teacher will explain how this demonstration works.
2. Water (condensation/vapor) is the gaseous form of water. You (can/cannot) see it in the air.
3. When air rises in the atmosphere it will (warm/cool).
4. When the air and water vapor cool the water vapor will (condense/vaporize) into liquid
water.
5. The air has to cool to the (wet bulb/dew point) temperature in order for this to happen.
6. (Smoke/Fog) can form when the air at the surface (cools/warms) and the water vapor
condenses into cloud droplets.
7. You can often see (evaporation/condensation) when you see dew on the grass in the
morning.
Name ____________________________________________________
Cloud in a Bottle Student Sheet (Grade 2)
Watch your teacher demonstrate the “Cloud in a Bottle”. Your teacher will first add water and
smoke to a plastic bottle. They will squeeze the bottle and then release the bottle.
1. What did you see when your teacher squeezed the bottle together?
2. What did you see when your teacher let go of the bottle?
3. What is it called when there is a cloud on the ground?
Circle one:
Rain
Fog
Head in the Clouds
This activity is from the National Weather Service JetStream Online School for Weather at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/synoptic/ll_clouds1.htm
A similar activity, A 'hole' Lot of Clouds can be found at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/synoptic/ll_holeclouds.htm
For fifth grade this activity can be used when you teach benchmark SC.5.E.7.3 to relate the
cloud types to the weather patterns that are in the region. (Recognize how air temperature,
barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, and direction, and precipitation determine the
weather in a particular place and time). In addition it can be used as an extension for the
benchmark SC.5.E.7.1 to illustrate condensation and how clouds can have both liquid and
solid water. (Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a
liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another).
For second grade this activity can be used when you teach benchmark SC.2.E.7.1 to illustrate
the changing and repeating patterns of clouds (Compare and describe changing patterns in
nature that repeat themselves such as weather conditions including temperature and
precipitation, day to day and season to season). We would suggest that the teacher identify
the clouds for the students.
Name _____________________________________________________
Cloud Observation Chart (Grade 2)
Circle what type of clouds you observe
Day
High Cloud Type
Middle Cloud Type
Low Cloud Type
Monday
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
Nimbostratus
Altocumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Tuesday
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
Nimbostratus
Altocumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Wednesday
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
Nimbostratus
Altocumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Thursday
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
Nimbostratus
Altocumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Friday
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
Nimbostratus
Altocumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Is it raining?
“Melts In Your Bag, Not In Your Hands”
*Special note: This activity uses chocolate so be cautious with any students who have
food allergies.
This activity is from the National Weather Service's JetStream Online School for Weather and
can be found at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_melts.htm.
Second grade teachers can use this activity with benchmark SC.2.E.7.2 to show students
how the sun warms the land and the air. (Investigate by observing and measuring, that the
sun's energy directly and indirectly warms the water, land, and air.)
Explain to the students that the chocolate in bag “A” was warmed by direct sunlight. Direct
sunlight is what warms the ground. The chocolate in bag “B” was not warmed by direct
sunlight. It was warmed by heat coming from the air. It was indirectly warmed by the
sunlight. The sunlight warms the ground and the ground warms the air. Misconception alert:
many students think that the sunlight warms the air. This is not generally true in the
troposphere (though it is true in the stratosphere where ozone absorbs ultraviolet energy).
The sun warms the ground by radiation. The warm ground is able to heat the air above it by
conduction (direct contact) and convection (warm air rising and cool air sinking).
For fifth grade teachers this activity can be modified to teach these benchmarks:
*Do the activity on a sunny day and on a cloudy day, leaving the chocolate fully exposed.
Students can compare and contrast how long it takes the chocolate to melt. You can then
relate that to how the air temperature is higher on sunny days versus cloudy days.
(SC.5.E.7.3 Recognize how air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, and
direction, and precipitation determine the weather in a particular place and time.)
*Do the activity once a month, again leaving the chocolate fully exposed. You can do this as
a class demonstration: Leave the bag of chocolate exposed for a certain time interval (5-10
minutes) and take pictures with the date on an index card. Towards the end of the year show
all of the pictures and relate how the chocolate tends to melt more in the summer months
(August, September) than in the winter months (December, January, February). Use this to
explain how the Sun's angle changes throughout the year. When the Sun is lower in the sky
the sunlight is spread out over a larger area resulting in lower air temperatures versus when
the Sun is higher in the sky and the sunlight is not spread out as much. A companion activity
for teaching about the seasons can be found at
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/ll_shadow.htm. (SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics
(temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation,
and proximity to bodies of water).
Name ___________________________________________________
Melts in your bag, not in your hand (Grade 2)
1. Which chocolate melted more? Circle one-*The chocolate in the sunlight
*The chocolate in the shade?
2. Which chocolate did not melt as much? Circle one-*The chocolate in the sunlight
*The chocolate in the shade?
3. Which chocolate was warmed by direct sunlight?
*The chocolate in the sunlight
*The chocolate in the shade?
4. Which chocolate was warmed indirectly by the sun?
*The chocolate in the sunlight
*The chocolate in the shade?
5. Is the ground warmed directly or indirectly by the sun?
6. Is the air warmed directly or indirectly by the sun?
The Toasty Wind
This activity comes from the National Weather Service's JetStream Online School for Weather
and can be found at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/ll_toast.htm. You can substitute
a hot plate for a toaster.
Second grade teachers can use this activity to teach benchmark SC.2.E.7.4 to illustrate that
moving air is wind and what causes the wind (Investigate that air is all around us and that
moving air is wind). You can also use this activity to illustrate that the sun indirectly warms
the atmosphere for benchmark SC.2.E.7.2 (Investigate by observing and measuring, that the
sun's energy directly and indirectly warms the water, land, and air). You can tell the students
that Earth's surface is warmed by the sun (direct warming) and that Earth's atmosphere is
then warmed by Earth's surface (indirect warming).
Fifth grade teachers can use this activity to teach about convection and how thunderstorms
form (S.C.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and
hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.) Show students
pictures of cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds and explain that thunderstorms form when air
that is warmer and less dense than the surrounding air rises. Use the hot plate and pinwheel
to show that this warmer air rises. Adjust the settings on the hot plate to low or off to
demonstrate that a lack of heat energy will slow down/shut off the convection and relate this
to why we do not get daily afternoon thunderstorms in the winter like we do in the summer.
Make the connection to the water cycle and explain that thunderstorm clouds form when air
rises, cools, and the water vapor condenses (SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts
of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from
one state to another. )
Name_____________________________________________________
Toasty Wind (Grade 2)
1. When your teacher turned on the toaster what did the pinwheel do?
2. Did the air above the toaster rise or sink?
3. What is it called when air molecules are moving?
Circle one:
*air pressure
*wind
*rain
*temperature
4. What is the source of energy for the wind?
Circle one:
*trees
*clouds
*the Sun
*the Moon
Name________________________________________________________________
Toasty Wind (Grade 5)
What did you observe when your teacher turned the toaster on?
1. Air rises when it is (colder/warmer) than the surroundings. This causes it to be (less/more)
dense.
2. Air becomes warmer because it is warmed by the (Sun/Earth).
3. What is it called when air rises? Circle one: Precipitation/Convection
4. We can see convection in our atmosphere when we see (clear skies/thunderstorms).
5. During what time of the year would you expect to see a lot of convection? Circle one:
Winter/Summer.
6. True or false: Convection is an important part of the water cycle.
How Much Water Is In The Clouds?
This activity is from the National Weather Service's JetStream Online School for Weather and
can be found at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tstorms/ll_h2ocontent.htm. A copy of the
activity has been provided for you.
Fifth grade teachers can use this activity with benchmark SC.5.E.7.1 (Create a model to
explain the parts of the water cycle) to show that the water in clouds falls as rain when the
force of gravity overcomes the upward motion of the rising air in a cumulus cloud.
Here is a sample student sheet:
Name_______________________________________________________________
How Much Water Is In The Clouds?
How many drops of water do you think the cotton ball will hold?
In a thunderstorm the rising air is called a (updraft/downdraft).
In a thunderstorm the weight of the rain and hail is supported by the (updraft/downdraft)
Rain will begin to fall when the downward force of gravity is (less/greater) than the upward
force of the rising air.
True or false: The water drops in a cloud all have the same size.
Cumulus clouds can form when air is rising. In which area do you think the cumulus clouds
will have enough moisture to make rain?
Circle one:
*over the ocean
*over the land